Bienvenidos! Welcome to Ecuador. Your adventure begins in Quito – Ecuador’s sprawling capital city. You’ll have a welcome meeting at 5 or 6 pm tonight to meet your local leader and small group of fellow travellers. If you arrive early, maybe check out the city at your own pace – head to the Old Town and pick one (or more) of the 30 churches to explore. After your meeting, you’ll head to a small, local restaurant for dinner with your group. Take in the aromas and fresh flavours of the traditional Ecuadorian cuisine – think locroc (traditional potato soup) or quinoa, pork and vegetable dishes cooked with herbs, lemongrass and rich sauces, all sourced from local farms. It’s very important that you attend the welcome meeting as we will be collecting insurance details and next of kin information at this time. If you are going to be late, please let your travel agent or hotel reception know. Ask reception or look for a note in the lobby for more information on where the meeting will take place. As this trip spends very little time in Quito, we recommend you spend a few extra days before your trip to experience all the city has to offer. We recommend not engaging in any strenuous activity until you have time to gauge your reaction to the city’s high altitude. Some people experience mild symptoms of altitude sickness, like dizziness, shortness of breath and sleeplessness.

You have a very early start this morning (maybe as early as 4 am, depending on flight times) as you head into the Galapagos. Transfer to Mariscal Sucre International Airport (Quito Airport), with a boxed breakfast on the way. When you arrive, you’ll meet your naturalist guide in the arrival hall. Transfer a short distance away to Isla Baltra, where you’ll board your home for the adventure – M/Y Queen Beatriz. Once on board, settle in and then have lunch with your group. After, you’ll sail to Punta Carrion – on the eastern side of the Itabaca Channel that separates the islands of Baltra and Santa Cruz. This is a shallow and protected cove, ideal for your first snorkel and swim in the Galapagos! From the vantage point of your boat, wildlife is plentiful, so keep your eyes peeled for occasional sights of blue-footed boobies, Galapagos herons and great blue herons, while under the surface swim rays and white-tipped reef sharks. Tonight, you’ll have a welcome cocktail during the crew’s onboard presentation. Today is predominately a long travel day with an early morning start. Your first activity on the islands will not commence until after lunch. There are no snacks provided on the flights to and from the Galapagos Islands, so we recommend that you carry some snacks today. Please keep in mind that the Galapagos has strict quarantine regulations regarding bringing food onto the islands, with many fruits and vegetables being on the restricted list. There will be time after check-in and before departure to buy snacks at the airport. A USD 20 transit card is payable on departure at Quito Airport and a USD 200 national park entry fee is payable when you arrive on the islands. Credit cards are not accepted, so make sure you have cash on hand. Your travel time today will be approximately 4.5 hours. Your flight to the Galapagos Islands will stop in Guayaquil to refuel and pick up other passengers. Your sailing time today will be approximately 1.5 hours (10 nautical miles) to Punta Carrion. Tonight, you’ll sail approximately 9 hours (64 nautical miles) to Isla Isabela.

Wake up on the south Coast of Isla Isabela – the largest island of the Galapagos archipelago. Isabela was formed by five giant volcanic craters, all still considered active. The island is located in one of the youngest geological areas in the world, having been formed less than 1 million years ago and the southern coast has the largest area of beaches in the Galapagos. You’ll visit Las Tintoreras, heading to a viewing walkway where you can see a colony of white-tipped reef sharks swimming and sleeping. Take a long walk through lava flows and see the resident blue-footed boobies, penguins, marine iguanas and crabs. In the afternoon, take another walk through a coastal lagoon, where you might see some flamingos. This mangrove-lined path leads to Isabela’s Giant Tortoise Breeding Center (Arnoldo Tupiza) where you'll observe giant tortoises in all stages of development. You’ll then have the choice to go swimming at the beach or head out for some shopping in Puerto Villamil. You’ll sail overnight for approximately 6 hours (40 nautical miles) to Post Office Bay. Please note that there's a USD 10 fee to be paid upon landing on Isla Isabela.

Isla Floreana is a highlight of any Galapagos cruise, rich in natural wonders and wildlife. Today you’ll take a panga ride around the bay to see marine iguanas, sea lions and crabs before taking a leisurely walk to Post Office Bay, where 18th century whalers used a barrel as an unofficial mail drop. This custom continues today with visitors to the Galapagos – post one of your own or see if there are any you could deliver back home! You’ll also have the chance to go snorkelling with sea turtles. Today you might also be lucky enough to see pink flamingos and other water birds wading in the lagoons, including pintails and stilts. Just offshore, the Devil’s Crown is an old eroded volcanic cone and a popular roosting site for seabirds like boobies, pelicans and frigates. Go snorkelling in the cone, full of sea lions and colourful fish, for maybe the best underwater experience of the adventure! Later, you’ll head to Punta Cormorant, where the sand is made up of olivine crystals (a glassy volcanic mineral), giving the beach an olive-green colour. Your sailing time today will be approximately 30 mins (3 nautical miles) to Punta Cormorant, then 4 hours (32 nautical miles) to Puerto Ayora.

Wake up in Isla Santa Cruz – the second-largest island in the Galapagos. The small town of Puerto Ayora is the economic centre of the archipelago, and home to the Charles Darwin Research Station – as well as undertaking vital conservation work, the station also makes for interesting exploration and offers an opportunity to see giant tortoises. You may also be able to observe the baby tortoises and land iguanas! After your visit, head up into the highlands for a change of scenery. Beginning at the coast, you'll travel across Santa Cruz through the agricultural region and into the misty forests. This is a lush, humid zone containing miconia bushes, scalesia and inactive volcanic cones. Santa Cruz has more endemic plants than any of the other islands and you’re likely to see Galapagos giant tortoises in their natural habitat, and maybe even the bright red feathers of a vermillion flycatcher! Your travel time today will be approximately 1 hour. You’ll sail overnight for approximately 2 hours (16 nautical miles) to Santa Fe. Today there will be some passengers leaving the trip and some new passengers joining.

Isla Santa Fe is home to many sea lions and is a fantastic place to go snorkelling. This morning, expect to see Galapagos hawks, land iguanas, a variety of finches, Galapagos mockingbirds, marine turtles, frigatebirds, Galapagos doves and lava lizards, too. After your snorkel, head out for a hike on a trail along the coast, heading into the opuntia forest. Walk under the largest trees in the Galapagos to a forest of prickly pears and look out for the unique sub-species of land iguana that live here. Later, sail to Plaza Sur, where you’ll get close to sea lions and follow a trail past one of the Galapagos’ largest land iguana populations. Walk through cacti and volcanic landscapes, coloured bright red and green by sesuvium. The island’s rugged southern cliffs are an excellent place to spot tropicbirds and swallow-tailed gulls, as well as the 'Gentlemen’s Club’ – a gathering of male sea lions. Your sailing time today will be approximately 2 hours (16 nautical miles) to Isla Plaza Sur. Tonight, you’ll sail for approximately 7 hours (60 nautical miles) to Isla Espanola.

Wake up on the island of Espanola – the southernmost island of the Galapagos. Because of its remote location, this island has a large population of endemic fauna and is the breeding site for nearly all the 12,000 pairs of waved albatrosses on Earth. Take a trail to where sea lions bathe and marine iguanas make their way towards the water, walking right through booby colonies. Then, visit Punta Suarez. Walk along a trail that takes you to a clifftop viewpoint, where you'll see the boobies line the rocky shoreline beneath, while frigate birds soar overhead. Nearby, male sea lions can be seen lounging. Watch the albatross use the cliffs as their ‘runway’, helped into the air by the southeast winds that blow across this part of the island. If you’re lucky, you’ll also see the elaborate courtship rituals before the female chooses her lifelong mate! End the day on a white sandy beach at Bahia Gardner. The rocks off the coast provide excellent snorkelling opportunities, with reef sharks, turtles, sea lions and many species of tropical fish – including surgeon and angelfish – often seen. White-tipped reef sharks are also commonly spotted resting under the rocks. Your sailing time today will be approximately 1 hour (7 nautical miles) to Bahia Gardener. Tonight, sail for approximately 7 hours (50 nautical miles) to Punta Pitt.

Visit Punta Pitt on the eastern end of Isla San Cristobal this morning. Walk to the top of the volcanic hill for expansive views of the sparsely vegetated area. A variety of seabirds nest here, including blue-footed boobies and frigates. Then, sail to Leon Dormido (Kicker Rock) – the basalt remains of a crater in the middle of the sea, resembling a sleeping lion. The rock rises 150 m above the surface and is divided into two parts by a narrow channel. Although there are no landing areas, you’ll circumnavigation the Rock to see tropicbirds, marine iguanas and sea lions. Later, visit Isla Lobos – a tiny island off the coast of San Cristobal. This is the perfect time to watch as the sea lions play in the shallow waters. Blue-footed boobies, frigate birds and marine iguanas can also be seen. Your sailing time today will be approximately 2.5 hours (27 nautical miles) to Kicker Rock, then 1 hour (7 nautical miles) to Isla Lobos. Tonight, sail for approximately 1 hour (5 nautical miles) to Puerto Baquerizo.

Visit San Cristobal Interpretation Center – this information hub brings the history and geography of the archipelago to life, from its volcanic origins to the present day. The human history exhibit offers an insight into the discovery and colonisation of the Galapagos, and the reality of the problems the islands face today. Then, you’ll have some free time for shopping before lunch with the new travellers joining you today. This afternoon, travel to the highlands site of Galapaguera of Cerro Colorado (Red Hill) by bus. This is where the national park has established a breeding program and information centre for tortoises. Here, you can see giant tortoises and learn all about their origin, evolution and their threatened future. Your travel time today will be approximately 1 hour. Tonight, you’ll sail for approximately 8 hours (70 nautical miles) to Bartolome. Today, there will be some passengers leaving the trip and some new passengers joining you.

Bartolome is one of the most spectacular volcanic landscapes in the Galapagos, full of parasitic spatter cones, lava flows, Galapagos penguins and lava lizards. It’s a relatively new island in the archipelago and traces of its volcanic past can be seen everywhere across the lunar-like landscape. Visit Pinnacle Rock – one of the most photographed sites in the Galapagos, this abrupt jag of rock protrudes from the earth like a tooth, close to two golden bays that back onto each other. You can hike to the top of a once-active volcano here (360 wooden steps) for views across to Sullivan Bay, on nearby Santiago Island. If you’re in luck, you might catch a glance of the Galapagos hawk. You also have the option to go snorkelling with plenty of tropical fish, starfish, white-tipped reef sharks, rays and, hopefully, penguins. This afternoon, sail to Bahia Sullivan (also known as James Island). Walk on Pahoe-Hoe lava from an eruption that occurred in 1897 and listen as your guide explains the geological history of the islands. Look out for marine iguanas, Sally Lightfoot crabs, sea lions, finches, turtles, sharks and penguins. Your sailing time today will be approximately 30 mins (1 nautical mile) to Bahia Sullivan. Tonight, you’ll sail for approximately 3 hours (25 nautical miles) to Espumilla Beach.

Espumilla Beach, on the northern coast of Isla Santiago, is an important nesting site for marine turtles. With large waves, it’s also often a favourite among beach lovers. Here, you might see Galapagos hawks up close as well as ghost crabs, blue-footed boobies (often plunging for fish) and brown pelicans. The area is also well known for its Palo Santo forest and lava formations. Visit Caleta Bucanero (Buccaneer Cove) – a natural monument of rocks caused by sea erosion. This cove was used by pirates to careen their ships and is a place of local legends and stories! It’s also where Darwin camped for nine days while making his study of the islands and their wildlife. If conditions are favourable, you can go snorkelling here. Later, sail to Puerto Egas – the black-sand beach on the west side of the bay near Sugarloaf Volcano. This site is named after Hector Egas who last attempted to mine salt here. The walk along the beach offers hundreds of marine iguanas and Galapagos sea lions. You’ll also see amazing tidal pools formed from ancient lava flow, home to sponges, snails, hermit crabs, barnacles and fish. Your sailing time today will be approximately 30 mins (1 nautical mile) to Buccaneer Cove, then 30 mins (1 nautical mile) to Puerto Egas. Tonight, you’ll sail for approximately 7 hours (60 nautical miles) to Puerto Ayora.

Flights to the mainland depart mid-morning, so an early start is necessary today to make the most of your last day on the islands. You’ll visit the Charles Darwin Research Station before heading to the airport for your flight back to Quito. Tonight, you may like to head out with your group for a farewell dinner and toast to an excellent adventure. This trip visits the Charles Darwin Research Station twice, so you can have a free morning on Day 5 if you’d prefer. Your travel time today will be approximately 4.5 hours. Your flight will make a brief stop in Guayaquil to drop off or pick up other passengers. We recommend bringing your own snacks. As you’ll be leaving the boat this morning, please remember that if you have enjoyed the services provided by your guide and crew, a tip is considered appropriate. For logistical and cultural reasons, we treat this as an optional expense and do not incorporate it into your trip price. Suggested tipping amounts can be found under the Money Matters section in the Essential Trip Information.

There are no activities planned for today, and your adventure finishes after breakfast this morning. Of course, that doesn’t mean your adventure has to end! Why not stay on in Quito for a few days and discover the charms of the city. If you need help booking extra accommodation, just speak to your booking agent ahead of time.